opinions // 16

Homeless people are still people

Tab Rahman
The Sheaf

Howes has been one
of the most talked about
issues in Canada in recent
years. All political parties have a
platform addressing it. However,
it seems the options provided
by governments are more Band-
Aid solutions to symptoms than
policies that actually tackle
problems at their source.

At the heart of the issue is

not usually perceived as actual
people, deserving of respect
and attention to the nuances of
their different plights. They are
categorized by society as non-
contributing members of society
who are incompetent, lazy,
careless, or severely mentally ill.

Those who are mentally ill
are even more harshly judged;
their illnesses are dismissed or
ignored. Paradoxically, society
tends to see most or all homeless
people as a bit “off” mentally.
Our society as a whole often sees
homeless people as nuisances or
awkward moments in our day-
to-day lives rather than humans
who should be understood and
empathized with.

An example of this outlook

: came to media attention

: through a Facebook group called
: “Creature Sightings,” where

: users upload photos or videos

: of themselves with homeless

: people. These users are not

: filming themselves helping the

: homeless people, mind you, but
: ridiculing and mocking them. A
: similar dehumanization revolves
: around sightings of so-called

: “creatures” at Walmarts across

: the country.

A group of boys posted a

: video in the Facebook group
the idea that homeless people are : that showed them approach a

: homeless man reading a book

: in downtown Calgary. They

: repeatedly asked him where

: he got the book and how he

: could read—all in a mock Steve
: Irwin accent, of course. They

: also called him a “creature,”

: saying things such as, “You area
: magnificent specimen. You know :
: that, creature?”

Though there were many

: who spoke out to condemn the
: video and what it represented,

: there were more people who

: found it absolutely hilarious,

: saying that the boys were doing
: nothing wrong by mocking the
: man and his life decisions that

: led him to the streets

It’s disturbing to think that

people find the verbal abuse of
: a disenfranchised person to be

Laettor to the Editor

The following is a response to the article “Tuition rises: but cuts still made?” which appeared in issuue #27 last month.

: funny. These are people who very
: rarely have a voice in our society

: and the Facebook group clearly

: shows there are many who would
: rather mock them than ask them
: about how society can help bring
: them back into the fold.

According to a keynote

: speech by University of Toronto

: professor J. David Hulchanski

: at the University of Calgary,

: the top two reasons why people

: become homeless excludes the

: factor many people may give

: for why they think someone is

: homeless—mental illness, which
: accounts for less than five per

: cent of the homeless population.

The list does include

: inability to pay rent due to
: inadequate income and domestic :
: conflicts or abuse. These two
: reasons alone account for nearly
: 80 per cent of the people who

require assistance from shelters

: or are out on the streets.

It is also important to

: recognize that a large percentage
: of the homeless population

: are gay, LGBT youth. Ina 2009

: survey in Toronto 20 per cent

: identified as lesbian, gay, or

: trans. That is a staggering

: percentage for a country that

: prides itself on its provision of

: LGBTQ rights on equal bases

: with all other human rights.

The Canadian Homelessness :

: Research Network says that

: 200,000 people annually go

: without stable homes. This

: number does not include the

: hidden homeless, people who

: crash on friends’ couches or

: who stay with their families on
: temporary bases because they
: have no other places to go.

: Statistics like these are rising :
: every year and the demographic
: at risk is no longer just men

: ages 21-45. Canada is seeing

: an increase in single mothers,

: the elderly and, worryingly,

: Aboriginals—a demographic

: already over-represented in the
: homeless population—on the

: streets and without permanent
: residences each year.

Additionally, there needs

: to be more awareness of the

: fact that most homeless people
: are not simply mentally ill, as

: is often asserted, and therefore
: “beyond help” in some way.

They are regular functioning

: members of society who hold
: jobs, have friends and family, and :
: contribute to their communities.
: The catch is that they are unable
: to pay for housing, very often

: even if they hold jobs. That is

: a feeling many can empathize

: with—several know the feeling

: of fearing whether or not we can
: afford rent and groceries in the

same month and then in the

theotherpress.ca

: next and then the next.

: The government needs to

: expand the scope of affordable

: housing and related programs—

: employment, unemployment

: insurance, income assistance,

: etc.—and give people the

: resources to regain their lives.

: For the people who are mentally

ill and on the street, there needs

: to be places of care and safety

: that cater to their needs.

: Regardless of what the

: government does, we can at least

: respect the homeless within our

? communities and treat them

: with the same dignity we expect.

: This should not just end with

: denouncing things like the

: “Creature Sightings” Facebook

: group.

: Putting ourselves in the

: perspectives of others and seeing

: the hardships they are facing

: are important further actions to

: take.

: The question is: how do we

: show this to groups in society so

desensitized that they cannot

: even bring themselves to

: understand that the homeless

: are humans and not “creatures”?
This is an important

: consideration as we continue to

: think about how the root causes

: of poverty and homelessness

: themselves can be eliminated.

 

Dear Editor of the
Other Press:

aving an open dialogue

with students and
employees about the college
budget is something that I
admire and encourage here at
Douglas. This has been my first
budget process since joining
the college and I have been
impressed with the thoughtful
questions and discussions that
we've had in various meetings
and forums.

However, good dialogue
starts with good information,
and there were several incorrect
assumptions and statements in
your May 6, 2014, article Tuition

need to be clarified.

For example, one often-
overlooked point is that
inflationary costs currently
exceed tuition increases. At
two per cent per year, increased
tuition is not enough to cover
increases to base operating
costs, let alone allow for the
enhancements requested by
students.

Fortunately, because the

: college has other sources of
: funding, we are able to not only :
: cover those rising operating
: costs, but also actually increase :
: the number of programs we

: offer and improve our services.
: In fact, the college is investing
: $1.8 million from this budget

: directly into academic and

: service areas, including but not :
: limited to: 104 new academic
: sections to reduce waitlists,

: new science lab technicians

: and a mathematics assistant,
: new computer skills tutoring
: in the Learning Commons,

: another computer technician
: to help keep PCs up to date—
: as well as student assistants
rises: but cuts still made?, which :
: support—an expansion of

: the Essential Skills pilot

: project, an extension of the

: Student Employment Centre,

: extended library hours at

: both campuses, new student

: collaboration stations, and a

: review of the cafeteria space at
: the Coquitlam campus.

for additional technical

Over the past five

years, Douglas College has

invested millions of dollars
: into college technology and

infrastructure to modernize

: and improve the college for

students and employees. Just

: four years ago, the concourse
: at New West campus was a

: cold and unwelcoming place.
: Today, it’s bursting with life,
: as students enjoy the soft

seating, collaboration stations,

: stage and video capacity,

: student lounge and the warm
: atmosphere made possible

: through extensive renovations. :
: WiFi capacity has been

: vastly improved and is now
: only limited by our physical
: connection to the Internet, :
: which is being reviewed by our :
: mandated service provider.

Douglas College is

: also committed to student

: engagement, which is why

: we have restructured the

: student services division

: and will be adding new

: employees in that area to

: create new opportunities

: for students to engage with
: the college, the community,
> and the world. Whether it’s

: through academics, sports,
: co-curricular, or leadership
: activities, Douglas wants to
: have one of the best student
: experiences in the country.

Weare also committed

: to helping students meet

: financial needs. Last year, the
: Douglas College Foundation
: distributed over $1.5 million

: to more than 1,800 students

: through awards, bursaries,

: and scholarships. Of the $1.5
: million, more than $750,000

was flowed through directly

: from the college and this has
: been the annual average for the :
: past 10 years. :

Yes, Douglas College
is fortunate to be running

: a budget surplus, and that

: surplus allows the college to

: continue to improve programs
: and services and to grow and
: expand. We have reached

: capacity at New Westminster
: campus, and with the new

: SkyTrain line coming to our

: Coquitlam campus, it won't

: be long before that campus is
: bursting at the seams as well.
: We will need more space and

: the $35-million accumulated

: in the major capital reserve

: (not $60-million, as the article
: stated) is earmarked to fund

: future campus expansion

: as well as other significant

: necessary capital expenditures
: such as technology

: investments and major facility
: renovations not funded by the
: Ministry.

Creating a budget that

: accommodates everyone’s

: needs and interests isn’t easy
: and it isn’t always possible.

: It’s my hope that through a

balanced approach, we can

: build on our amazing successes
: and continue to improve the

: student experience over the

: years to come. I welcome

: continued student feedback

: as we work together towards

: being one of the best colleges

: in the country.

: Tracey Ternoway

: Vice President,
: Finance and Administration